Justice Matters Magazine, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

JusticeMatters

Fa l l 2 0 1 2j o h n jay c o l l e g e o F c r i m i na l j u s t i c e

LiBeraLartsMaJOrsrevitalized, Distinctand on the cutting edge

senior editor/WriterPeter Dodenhoff

editor/Writeradrienne anifant

Production Managerjennifer ashlock

Photography coordinatormelissa chan

Photographyarpi Pap

Design Directorhope Forstenzer

Features

4 Liberal arts on the cutting edge

Turning vision into reality with newly introduced, unique liberal arts majors

9 Words of Wisdom J Journal’s distinctive contribution to the

literature of justice

11 Human trafficking Voices of John Jay scholars

14 From Prison to college A unique approach to learning

18 i cannot tell a Lie Revolutionizing ideas about

detecting deception and conducting interrogations

20 election analysis from FOX News to univision

Faculty experts share commentary and predictions

DePartMeNts2 President’s Letter

3 campus News Justice Awards Celebration

22 Kroll atrium Dedication Leading by Example

23 student scholarships Jay Walk Scholars Sadari Hutson

and Mehdi Mahraoui

24 alumni Profiles Paula Howell Anderson

and Richard J. Koehler

26 class Notes

President jeremy travis

Vice President for Marketing and Development jayne rosengarten

executive Director of Marketing and communications Vivian todini

JusticeMatters

cONteNts

418

ON tHe cOVerJohanny Santana, who earned her BA in English in 2012, is a testament to the resurgence of liberal arts majors at John Jay. She’s now attending Cardozo School of Law on a full scholarship, and credits her English major courses, professors and participation in the College’s Pre Law Institute with helping to prepare her for success. Story on page four.

3

Four fierce advocates for justice were honored by John Jay

College on October 16 for their tireless commitment to

fighting for the common good.

The 2012 John Jay Medals for Justice were presented at a ceremony

held before a standing-room-only crowd at the College’s Gerald W.

Lynch Theater. The honorees included Dr. Hawa Abdi, the Somali

human rights activist and 2012 Nobel Prize nominee; Harry Belafonte,

the renowned musician, actor and civil rights activist, and Vivian

Nixon, executive director of the College and Community Fellowship.

A posthumous award was presented to the late U.S. Supreme Court

Justice William O. Douglas for his lifelong commitment to fighting

for the voiceless and powerless.

Created in 2008, the Justice Award honors leaders who have

made a significant impact on the international, national and

community levels.

In his welcoming remarks, John Jay President Jeremy Travis

said, “The Justice Awards are given to those who, like the ancient

philosophers, understand that justice is a ligament that holds society

together.” The honorees, he added, “are an inspiration to our students.”

The evening’s A-list presenters included the renowned actor

James Earl Jones, Rosanna Rosado, CEO and publisher of El

Diario/La Prensa, and Tina Brown, editor-in-chief of The Daily

Beast and Newsweek. Justice Douglas’s widow, Cathleen Douglas

Stone, accepted the award on her late husband’s behalf. Dr. Abdi’s

daughter, Dr. Deqo Waqaf, accepted the award for her mother.

In turn, the Justice Award winners noted that they were humbled

by the honor, and by the company they were keeping for the evening.

They also expressed broad admiration for the College, citing, in Ms.

Stone’s words, “the wonderful work of the alumni of this institution

and the students who will go out and change the world.” Mr.

Belafonte noted that he has been a frequent visitor to John Jay in the

past, for lectures, classroom presentations and other events, and said

that each time “it’s been an experience beyond my ability to describe.”

“Please continue to acknowledge the justice in this world,” Dr.

Waqaf urged College officials and attendees.

The John Jay Justice Awards ceremony is made possible

through the generosity of John Jay College Foundation Trustee

Richard Tarlow. JJ

NeWsJustice awards celebration

From left to right:

President travis,

rev. Vivian nixon, harry

Belafonte, Dr. Deqo

Waqaf, james earl jones

and cathleen Douglas stone

4 Justice Matters |john jay college of criminal justice

Liberal Arts on the Cutting EdgeLiberal arts majors, once an important and popular component of

a John Jay education until they were jettisoned as part of the price

of saving the College in 1976, have returned and they are bigger and

better than ever, befitting John Jay’s hard-won status as a senior

college of the City University.

EconomicsEnglishgEndErstudiEs

By Peter Dodenhoff


wrapped opportunity to make them “really cutting-edge.”

“Other people are saddled with history majors that are 100

years old,” she said, “but we got to start from scratch and imagine

a major that suits where we are as a college, as a country and as

a world.”

The new majors have shown an immediate popularity

with John Jay students. Data from the Division of Enrollment

Management show 372 students majoring in Economics for the

fall of 2012. English has attracted 316 majors, Global History 110,

and Philosophy, in its first semester, 31. “All these new liberal arts

majors are growing at a nice clip,” said Dean of Undergraduate

Studies Anne Lopes. Provost Bowers said

“pent-up need and desire,” along with

students switching from other majors,

have contributed to the rapid growth. “You

come here wanting to major in one thing,

and then all of a sudden you decide ‘wait a

minute, what was I thinking?’ Or you took

a GenEd lit course and you fell completely

in love with it, and now you have a place

to go with that. Now you can say, ‘Look

what’s available to me.’ ”

Lopes added that she hopes to see the

growth accelerate through a reimagined

General Education core at John Jay that will

open the door to students electing double

majors or major-minor combinations —

“things that would enrich their degree and

allow them to be much more intentional

about what they’re taking and why.”

Crucial SupportThe revival of liberal arts majors could

not have happened without the support of CUNY Chancellor

Matthew Goldstein and a significant financial investment from

the University, Bowers noted. Equally important, President

Travis recalled, it took a resolution by the University Board

of Trustees to reverse the earlier action that had limited the

College to criminal justice-related majors. “As part of the deal

to keep John Jay open, we gave up the history major, the English

major, and other liberal arts majors that are traditional in a

baccalaureate institution,” President Travis said in an interview

for a revised edition of EducatingforJustice, a history of John Jay

College written by Distinguished Professor Gerald Markowitz.

The CUNY investment in new faculty and other resources

was crucial, Bowers added. “Our faculty were telling us that

this had better not be a zero-sum game,” she said. “You can’t

be taking lines away from an existing department to give to

these new liberal arts majors; there has to be new money. So

we presented a plan to the Chancellor in which we said, ‘Here

is the number of faculty we would need to hire to make these

proposed new majors possible.’ And the university invested in

faculty who would not only teach in these new majors but also

create and expand curriculum for them.”

The new majors, whether existing or planned, will hardly

be static. “Curriculum is a living organism,” Bowers said. “It

grows and it changes, because the world grows and changes,

and we have an obligation to keep our curriculum evolving.”

Constant assessment, she said, helps to

pinpoint strengths as well as deficiencies.

“None of our majors should be coasting —

not while I’m Provost,” said Bowers.

Skills for Law School – and LifeThe importance of liberal arts majors

to John Jay is hard to overstate, College

officials agree. “We want students to be

more exposed to liberal arts, because as

part of those disciplines they are doing

much more work on critical thinking

skills, reading skills, writing skills, all

the things they need to be successful,”

said Lopes. “Liberal arts majors are the

way students will do significantly better

if they’re interested in taking the LSAT

or GRE.”

Johanny Santana, a recent alumna who

was an active participant in the College’s

Pre Law Institute, is living proof of what

one can achieve with a liberal arts degree.

She entered John Jay as a criminal justice major, but switched

to English as soon as it became available (along with a minor

in Philosophy). “The major is responsible for my development

as a writer and as an intellectual,” she said. “I feel that I am

prepared for law school because of the courses I took and the

professors that taught me in the major. There is really no doubt

that the English major directly prepared me for success.” She

is currently attending Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of

Law on a full scholarship.

But the relevance of such majors goes far beyond improving

one’s skills on standardized tests for graduate school, Lopes

added. “The College needs to prepare students for the world

that they will inherit,” she noted in a recent self-study report

You come here wanting to major

in one thing, and then all of a

suddenyou decide

‘wait a minute, what was I thinking?’ Now you can say,

‘Look what’s available to me.’

LawandSocietyPhiLoSoPhyPoLitic

continued on page 8

9

Before proposing their plan to President Travis and Provost

Jane Bowers, Professors and co-editors Heiman and Berlin

surveyed dozens of criminal justice journals and found

that they all took a scholarly approach to justice issues. For a new

approach, the two editors intended to give theJJournal a distinctive

voice – one that reflects the depth and range of justice communities.

When it debuted, the J Journal was the first literary journal to

feature fiction, poetry and personal narratives on themes of justice.

Words of WisdomBy Adrienne Anifant

The English Department’s Jeffrey Heiman and Adam Berlin (above) founded John

Jay’s flagship literary journal J J rn in 2008 hoping to make a unique

contribution to the literature of justice. Their vision for J urn N

r ng n u c was also linked to John Jay President Travis’s plan for

expanding the range of humanities and liberal arts courses throughout the

curriculum and integrating the College’s goal of “educating for justice.”


“The journal looks at criminal justice

from the inside – at crime, justice and

injustice from the perspective of the

perpetrator, the victim, the observer

or the person who is grappling with

ethical questions,” explained Heiman.

“We’re fiction writers, so we’re coming

from the inside of the issue: the human

side. It’s a new approach to the same

question: What does it mean to be

alive?” added Berlin.

The publication’s reputation has

escalated rapidly in its five short years

of existence, especially with the story

“The Fall of Punicea” written by Paul

Stapleton, which won a 2013 Pushcart

Prize for fiction. JJournal has also been

reviewed and praised for its content

by Library Journal, Utne Reader, The

ReviewReview and NewPages.

The journal considers submissions that are directly or

tangentially related to justice, and it does not publish genre

pieces, such as detective stories or whodunits. Initially,

Heiman and Berlin anticipated they would receive the majority

of submissions from police officers or lawyers who wanted

to reveal the grim truth of their professions in cogent prose

or poetry. Instead, the carefully crafted work of professional

writers filled J Journal’s mailbox.

Currently, the journal publishes

writers from across the spectrum,

including professors, lawyers, police

officers, inmates, victims and Master

of Fine Arts graduates.

Heiman and Berlin say JJournal’s best

work doesn’t attempt to “smooth the

hard edges,” to evade the uncomfortable;

instead, it directs a penetrating light on

the complexities of justice.

“Literature is moral but not moral-

izing. It asks questions about how to

live and how to live best but doesn’t

give answers. The journal’s umbrella

of justice frames the questions in such

a way that it changes the way you read

each piece. Ethical questions become

more apparent,” said Heiman.

The first-time editors believe that editing the journal has

sharpened both their own writing and the way they teach writing

in the classroom. The precision and insight with which they edit

their professional writers transfers to their students’ work as well.

“We’re a little tougher on our students, but I think they

appreciate it. I always tell them that for one semester I’m going to

treat them like real writers. We give them the same kind of care

and attention, but with a little more nurturing,” said Berlin. JJ

but I have drowned

a million times

and resurfaced

beaten bruised,

smiling, sprawled

out, starf ished on the shore

yet, never have I wonagainst thestabbing of the

sun.--Inmate-writer Jevon Jackson

“The Hardest Days”

J Journal excerpt


“I was doing work on the intersection of the arts and criminal

justice, and I started getting invitations to give talks in the prisons,”

recalled English Professor Baz Dreisinger. “At one of these talks

I met a superintendent who said, ‘Why doesn’t John Jay have a

program in a prison?’ I had no good answer to that question.” From

that casual question, the wheels began to turn, and Dreisinger

ended up posing the question to President Jeremy Travis, whose

well known scholarly forte is prisoner reentry. “I said we ought to

do this,” she recalled. “After all, we’re CUNY,

we’re John Jay. He was incredibly supportive,

and the program developed from there.”

The Prison-to-College Pipeline program,

also informally called P2CP, is today more

than the education program it was originally

envisioned to be. Held at the medium-

security Otisville Correctional Facility in

Orange County, NY, it has become a critical

reentry and resocialization tool, one that

mingles inmates with students from the John

Jay campus proper in a semester-long series

of “learning exchanges.”

“We call them inside and outside students,

because they’re all considered John Jay

students,” said Dreisinger, who serves as

Academic Director of the program.

Despite enjoying enthusiastic support from the start, P2CP hit

a serious speed bump early in the two-year run-up to its launch

in 2011, when the New York State Department of Corrections and

Community Supervision (DOCCS) decided to close the Arthur

Kill Correctional Facility on Staten Island, the intended site of the

program. “We had already interviewed all the guys and picked our

class,” Dreisinger said. “We were all good to go, and we could never

have done a whole other interview process in time.” With some

extraordinary efforts on the part of DOCCS officials, she said, “We

managed to have our guys transferred to Otisville.”

The David Rockefeller Fund provided a crucial $100,000 in

grants to launch and operate the program – “the first big leap of

faith, for which we’re supremely grateful,” said Dreisinger. She

added that Assemblyman Jeff Aubry of Queens, chairman of the

Assembly Committee on Correction, helped with his “totally

gung-ho” support and sponsorship of an appropriation measure.

In both cases, Dreisinger sees it as money well spent. “There is an

unequivocal relationship between reduced recidivism rates and

higher education,” she observed. “There are numerous studies that

have shown this to be the case. And it’s far cheaper to educate than

it is to incarcerate.”

Education, P2CP-style, is carefully con-

structed for maximum benefit. “We wanted

to do something different,” said Dreisinger,

pointing out that there are two cohorts of

students: 10 from the John Jay campus and 16

Otisville prisoners. Competition for available

slots in each group is intense, with some 50

applicants for the 10 outside student spots. In

order for inmates to qualify for the program,

they must be within five years of release,

and have no excessive disciplinary record

in prison. They must also pass the CUNY

assessment tests in reading and writing, write

an essay and undergo an interview. “There

are a lot more interested prisoners than

there are available slots, so we try to recruit

people who are coming back to the five boroughs,” said Bianca

van Heydoorn, Director of Education Initiatives for the College’s

Prisoner Reentry Institute (PRI), which oversees the program.

“According to DOCCS, 48 percent of those incarcerated in the state

system are New York City residents.”

Inside and outside students are intermingled in the prison

classroom, and both groups are told in advance that this will

be the case. Program directors see this as an essential facet of

the program. “It’s intended to promote interaction,” said van

Heydoorn. “The Otisville students appreciate being interspersed

with John Jay students. The whole point is what the two

groups can learn from each other, as well as what the ‘outside’

college education programs for prison inmates may have an uneven history, but they are nothing new. What is new – and, apparently, completely unique – is the approach taken by john jay college. the Prison-to-college Pipeline, now in just its second year of operation, not only provides prisoners with college-level learning, it also facilitates their reentry into society.

“We call them

inside and outside

students, because

they’re all

considered

John Jay students.”

17

P2cP from the Outside inKrystleLynn Caraballo practically beams when she

recalls her experience as one of the “outside students”

in the Prison-to-College Pipeline program at Otisville

Correctional Facility, meaning she was one of the John

Jay students who went behind the walls to study with

inmates in the College’s P2CP program.

The P2CP experience stoked Caraballo’s simmering

interest in prisoner reentry, which was already being

fueled by her work on the issue as an intern in President

Jeremy Travis’s office. After graduating this past May,

she quickly obtained a position as an administrative

assistant in John Jay’s Prisoner Reentry Institute, which

allows her to stay involved in the pipeline program.

“Otisville was an exceptional experience because it

added a realistic approach to looking at reentry,” she

recalled. “In the President's office, I learned a lot about

the prison system, but actually going into the prison gave

it a sense of depth that a 100-page report never could.”

P2CP is not a course, per se, but a learning exchange.

“We go there once a month and it’s a chance for the

Otisville inmates to interact with John Jay students,

and vice versa,” Caraballo remembers. “We would

leave the College at 10 AM by van and return around

6 PM, leaving only about three hours to spend in the

classroom at Otisville.”

“The point of the program is to penetrate the borders

that divide us, and thus we are all John Jay students,”

Caraballo said. “I remember one guy who defiantly

but respectfully said, ‘I am a John Jay student.’ We

all cheered. These guys have been labeled too many

times, and this was the one area where they did not

have a number, so we wanted to keep it that way.”

Purposely, in order to avoid bias, John Jay students are

not made aware of the inmate students’ charges, unless

the inmates themselves volunteer the information. In

Caraballo’s case, “the subject didn’t come up until the

last learning exchange in May. There was this one guy

who was pretty much my favorite, and I didn’t find out

until the end what he was in for. It took me by surprise,

but it didn’t really bother me.”

Now that Caraballo is on the operating end of P2CP,

she is getting a firsthand look at how complicated the

undertaking really is. “It’s a lot of work, but 100-percent

fulfilling,” she smiled. JJ

students can learn from actually being inside a prison.” Along

the way, participants read and write intensively, and engage in

freewheeling exchanges of ideas.

But P2CP doesn’t end at the prison gates, which is part of what

makes the program unique – and so far successful. It has a reentry

component that PRI designed in conjunction with the Osborne

Association and the College Initiative. It includes support in

areas of life that are usually a challenge for those returning from

prison, such as housing, employment, reunification with family

and health care. And, for the men in P2CP, there is the focus on

continuing their higher education. “With a minimum C average

and passing the math assessment test, you are guaranteed a spot

at John Jay,” van Heydoorn said, noting with undisguised pride

that five inside students to date have been released from prison,

and two of those are currently enrolled in CUNY, one of them

at John Jay. These CUNY students pay the same tuition as any

other New York City resident, and have the same access to tuition

assistance and other support.

“As a public institution, we wanted to make a statement as far

as our commitment to the idea of a pipeline, so that these men

start their college journey while inside and then upon release are

funneled right into the CUNY system,” said Dreisinger. “In this

way, the campus becomes a kind of reentry tool, and a place for

them to find a new community – to experience not just college

inside but college outside, and benefit from all the things you find

on a traditional campus.”

Dreisinger admits that she could never have foreseen being

on the frontlines of the reentry issue, but that’s one of the very

few surprises she’s encountered. “I had been doing educational

programs in prison before this, so I knew they’d be motivated,

fantastic, smart and committed,” she said. “It’s way easier to teach

inside; the commitment level is just tremendous.”

She envisions P2CP becoming a national model for similar

programs in other states, and has a ready answer for those

who question the idea of spending public money on prisoner

education. “There’s the popular, mainstream answer, and then

there’s the one that I think is most just,” she said. “The popular

answer is that it reduces recidivism, so it becomes a public safety

issue and a cost issue. But to those of us who are really invested in

this issue, it’s much deeper than that. It’s really about civil rights

and the idea that everyone has a right to an education, whatever

scenario you’re in, whatever mistakes you’ve made in your life.

It’s a human rights issue.” JJ

The Prison-to-College Pipeline was the subject of a recent edition

of the John Jay-produced show “Criminal Justice Matters,” aired on

CUNY-TV.Theshow,hostedbySteveHandelman,DirectoroftheCenter

onMedia,CrimeandJustice,canbeviewedonYouTubeathttp://www.

jjay.cuny.edu/p2cp.

I Cannot

tell a lIeby adrIenne anIfant

associate Professor Maria Hartwig

19

deception and the art of unraveling deception have under-

pinned criminal investigations for centuries, not to mention

delivering the most memorable scenes in our favorite crime

movies and novels. The setting of a classical interrogation is

well known: a small room, bright, incandescent light from a single

bulb illuminates a table, three hard back chairs. Two police officers

attempt to browbeat a perpetrator.

But Associate Professor Maria Hartwig in John Jay’s Department

of Psychology is revolutionizing long held ideas about detecting

deception and conducting interrogations by inverting the orthodox

rules about effective interrogation techniques and how liars strategize.

“We know from half a century of research that people are not very

good at detecting lies,” said Hartwig. “People’s ability to tell if someone

is lying is only slightly better than what one can accomplish by flipping

a coin. I wanted to focus on ways you can make the difference between

lies and truths a bit more obvious. How do you pose questions that

elicit different types of responses from liars and truth-tellers?”

Hartwig admits that she, like many people,

has her own fascination with lying, lie detection,

and its central role in social life. Hartwig, who

won the 2011 Saleem Shah Award for Early

Excellence in Psychology and Law, was drawn

to studying psychology and law while in her

native Sweden. She believed that human

suffering could be ameliorated by transforming

traditional judicial and law enforcement

techniques – if there was an understanding of

how the mind works and how people behave. A

new approach, Hartwig asserts, could reduce

false accusations, wrongful convictions, lengthy

appeals and the concomitant stress and anxiety

to the accused and their families.

“We know from miscarriages of justice

that they sometimes start with misjudgments

of honesty,” said Hartwig. “I thought it was

important to understand how people form

judgments of truth and deception and how an interrogation can be

conducted so that it is in no way based on bullying or threats.”

To this end Hartwig is leading two projects, which are funded

by the FBI/High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG). The

first project studies the use of background information during an

interrogation with an interview technique called “strategic use of

evidence.” The second project explores non-coercive ways of eliciting

cooperation from people during interviews and interrogation.

“The strategic use of evidence (SUE) is based on the idea that

liars and truth-tellers have different strategies to convince, and that

these strategies can be exploited for the purpose of lie detection. The

technique uses available background information in strategic ways,

for example by posing questions about the information without

disclosing it. It’s a technique to create implausible or inconsistent

statements from liars – for example, posing questions in such a way

so they say they’ve never been in a particular part of New York, but

you have evidence that they were. ” Third-year Pyschology and Law

doctoral student Timothy Luke is working closely with Hartwig and

gaining critical field experience.

“I worked on the SUE grant proposal with Professor Hartwig,

which was an enriching collaborative experience. In the field, we

will conduct a study in which we will train federal law enforcement

agents to use SUE techniques, and we will test their ability to use the

techniques to detect deceit in live interviews,” Luke said. Through

their collaboration, he has had an opportunity to present the research

results at conferences with both researchers and practitioners.

Hartwig’s other project in the upcoming years will test the

effectiveness of interrogation techniques based on principles of a

theory known as “embodied cognition,” which is loosely based on

mind-body connection. The premise is that physical sensations can

influence thought, perception and behavior.

In contrast to the stereotypical small room and uncomfortable

environment to induce feelings of constriction, dependency and

powerlessness, Hartwig’s new line of research, which will be carried

out in collaboration with PhD student Evan

Dawson, uses the physical environment to

induce the suspect’s willingness to cooperate

and share information.

“We’re going to activate concepts of openness

and see if it makes people behave more openly.

We will interview people in a room that is

spacious, has pictures of open spaces, an open

bottle. We predict this will translate into verbal

openness. This is a non-coercive way to make

people offer information. The good news is that

what is morally defensible, legal and effective

can be the same thing.”

Although the lies Hartwig studies are those

that may be important to catch, she goes as

far as to pose that some types of lying are not

necessarily bad. In fact, it is often done out of

respect for, and to protect, social relationships.

“People lie all the time, but they have a strong

moral objection to it. Yet they use it amply in life to get out of trouble

or to make social relationships work. It’s a very old social game.”

She referred to arguments presented by evolutionary psychology

that suggests the development of human thought could have been,

in part, driven by the mental calculation and imagining that lying

requires. In fact, notes Hartwig, the kind of mental imaging that liars

use to strategize is the same mental projection used for feeling empathy.

“In order for me to lie to you I have to mentally represent and

manipulate your mind. I have to imagine what it is that you know.

It’s a pretty sophisticated skill. It’s part of what it is to be human –

to navigate and manage other people’s impressions, beliefs and

thoughts,” said Hartwig.

“Although I study what lies are about and how they function

in social life, my work does not deny that some relationships are

helped by the fact that people lie,” said Hartwig. “Sparing someone

the truth because you don’t want them to feel bad is not born out of

maliciousness but born out of love.” JJ

People’s ability to tell if someone

is lying is only slightly better

than what one can accomplish by flipping a coin.


Lecturer John Gutiérrez in the Department of Latin American

and Latina/o Studies at John Jay knew he was reaching

the Latino community when passengers riding the A train

through Washington Heights would peer over the tops of their

newspapers to ask:

“Are you that guy on TV?”

Gutiérrez says that the most gratifying part of this work is the

impact he has on the Latino community. He provides analysis for

Univision on House, Senate, mayoral, presidential and international

electoral races as well as analysis after all three presidential debates

and commentary on the day of the election and the following day.

Univision, which is the largest Spanish language channel,

snagged Gutiérrez when he was a graduate student at the CUNY

Graduate Center. He is still there 10 years later. A colleague had

suggested his name to the news director at Univision because he

would make the ideal analyst: He was not working on a campaign

and he was in academia.

“Univision reaches nearly 8 out of every 10 Latinos watching

a Spanish language channel in the New York metro area, so the

impact is big,” said Gutiérrez. “We live in a time of enormous

amount of information, so it is important to help people take a

step back and look at elections and politics with some context.

We look for trends over time; I do that with the narrative of the

campaign. I want to give people a sense of what is happening and

what is motivating voters to move one way or the other.”

Gutiérrez adds that often mainstream media neglect to address

issues that are most important to Latinos such as immigration,

poverty, and access to health care. He believes this is in part

due to the lack of diversity in the country’s major news stations.

Univision fills this dearth.

As the number of Latino voters escalates, Gutiérrez contends

that there is a concurrent public obligation to inform Latino

voters about political parties’ key policy positions. “At Univision,

just like in my classroom,” he says, “we discuss the big issues that

matter to Latinos.”

“The best part is that we’re catching people just as they are

about to go to work,” said Gutiérrez, “and provide them with a

quick talking point analysis. I try to establish a good rapport with

reporters and talk to them about their stories and how they are

covering politics.” Gutiérrez points out that his analysis work with

Univision “dovetails with the mission of my department which

strives to reach out to the Latino community outside the classroom.”

Although Gutiérrez is a historian by training, his interest in

politics grew out of his work with the Latino nonprofit sector in

New York City.

“I was able to get into the Bronx and into Queens and talk

with elected officials about how they got involved in politics,”

said Gutiérrez. “I worked a lot with candidates who struggle to

raise money. I began to think a lot about the structural obstacles

that Latinos face to exercise political power in New York.” Most

Latinos are younger than non-Hispanic Americans and many

must go through the process of naturalization in order to be

eligible to vote. In many communities, Gutiérrez says, the effect of

voting restrictions for people who have been convicted of crimes,

among other issues, is making it difficult for Latinos to have

political power justified by their numbers. JJ

univisionunivision

ElEction

John Gutiérrez

John Jay Faculty share commentary,

21

In early November, people across the country cast their vote for

the President, went home and turned on the television to wait

for the results. Election night for Brian Arbour was different.

An Assistant Professor of Political Science at John Jay, Arbour

was in the Fox News building on Fifth Avenue huddled with

his colleagues poring over exit poll data. Professor Arbour was

working nonstop with the Fox News Decision Team. Their job

on election night: Analyze the data and call the election for either

Obama or Romney.

Arbour, who teaches Introduction to American Politics, Media

& Politics, Political Parties, U.S. Congress, and Campaigns &

Elections has been a member of the Fox News Decision Team

since 2004. The political makeup of Fox’s election analysis team

comprises academics, pollsters and analysts – two Democrats and

two Republicans. The balance between the parties is deliberate.

“Our job is to be objective, call the data as we see it. We receive

nothing but that message from our bosses. Get it right. Get it first,”

says Arbour reflecting on the pressure to be the first network to

predict the outcome of the presidential race.

“On the general election night, we get to call 50 states for the

presidential election and 34 states for Senate elections. Depending

on how House races go, we may have to call those as well. It’s

really a thrilling job. It makes me real cool among other political

junkies,” jokes Arbour. “The ability for a network to call a race

first bolsters their reputation and it is the pride to call it first.

However, the worst thing you can do is miss a call particularly on

a big race. So there are conflicting pressures because we want to

be first, but more importantly we want to be right for journalistic

integrity,” he adds.

Originally from Houston, TX, Arbour’s nascent interest

in election analysis began with an early fascination with the

geography of the United States. Seemingly disparate memories

of childhood, such as lying on his bedroom floor constructing a

puzzle map of the United States, and his thrill at taking a poll of his

second grade classmates during the 1980 election, have evolved

into a successful scholarly and teaching career as well as being

sought after as a leading political analyst.

“As a child, I was playing with early Electoral College maps. I

have always liked politics and sports. Those are the two big things

in my life. I like competition and I have always liked the competitive

element of politics,” says Arbour who has been teaching at John

Jay since 2007 and teaches many freshman-level classes.

“I love being a professor, prepping for class, and thinking about

related research projects. The Decision Team gives me a front row

seat into politics and lets me be part of the process, which I would

be doing anyway in my living room on election night. I am part of

something real that I can bring into the classroom to the students.

I bring them the election firsthand, which is so much better than

reading about it in a book.” JJ

foxnewfox news

AnAlysis

Brian Arbour

Perspectives and Predictions by Adrienne Anifant


NeWs

Jules Kroll, chairman of the John Jay College Foundation Board

of Trustees and a pioneering executive in the investigations and

risk-management fields, has made a $2-million gift to the College

that will help support John Jay’s Honors Program for talented,

highly motivated students.

“Jules Kroll’s long and distinguished career has been built on

trailblazing leadership, and he proved this once again with this

generous gift to our campaign and our students,” said President

Jeremy Travis. “I know I speak for the entire college community in

thanking Jules and Lynn for their constant and public support of

our efforts to shape the future of justice.”

The College acknowledged the gift from Kroll and his wife,

Lynn, by naming the atrium in the new building on West 59th

Street in their honor. The dedication took place on May 8 as part

of the gala to formally launch the Campaign for the Future of

Justice, an initiative aimed at raising $50 million by John Jay’s

50th anniversary in 2014.

Kroll, who is chairman and co-founder of K2 Intelligence

and chairman and chief executive of Kroll Bond Ratings, said

the gift was spurred in part by his interest in helping the

minority population at John Jay. “I didn’t feel that I had ever

done enough for the minority community in my other work,”

he said in an interview with TheWallStreetJournal. Roughly

40 percent of John Jay’s 15,000 students are Latino, and 25

percent are African American. Many are the first in their

families to attend college. “It makes you feel good to help with

that,” Kroll said.

Kroll said he hopes that the gift will “lead by example” and

prompt others to do likewise. “The inspiration for this is seeing

the contribution that our graduates and faculty make,” Kroll said

in the interview. “They really are on the front lines of educating

and becoming practitioners in the area of justice.” JJ

jules and lynn Kroll

Leading by example

23

John Jay’s inaugural Jay Walk Scholarships are funded

through proceeds resulting from the purchase of commemo-

rative trees, benches and bricks. The scholarships recognize the

outstanding achievements of two students who have overcome

significant obstacles. This year Mehdi Mahraoui and Sadari Hut-

son were recipients of the Jay Walk Scholarships.

“The Scholarship Committee was deeply inspired by both of

these students’ journeys and the obstacles that they overcame,”

said Michael Scaduto, John Jay’s Scholarship Coordinator.

Mahraoui, a Public Administration major who is also a

Thurgood Marshall Scholar, a Pinkerton Fellow and a peer

counselor, is passionate about a career in the area of youth

justice and immigration reform. He knows the new Jay Walk

Scholarship will help him achieve his goals.

“The Jay Walk Scholarship allows me to focus on my studies

and take a semester off from work, so I can focus on my

research. John Jay offers so many opportunities and different

ways to help students focus on their studies and achieve their

highest potential,” said Mahraoui, who is from Morocco.

Mahraoui plans to apply to Columbia University and NYU

for PhD programs in social work and then become a professor.

Mahraoui says he’s looking forward to teaching.

“I want to empower children and make a meaningful

contribution to this country,” said Mahraoui. “My parents risked

everything to give me a future. I want their sacrifice to count.”

Sadari Hutson is pursuing a Criminal Justice major with a

Law minor. She intends to earn a master’s degree at Baruch

College that will combine law and business.

Hutson is winner of the Frederick Douglass Award, a

member and secretary of the Able Forces Club (an organization

focused on disabled students) and the Committee on Student

Interest. She previously worked at the College’s radio station

and is currently an NYPD auxiliary police officer.

Upon receiving her award on October 3, Hutson said,

“Throughout my time at John Jay, I’ve always kept my eyes on

the prize.” JJ

scHOLarsHiPs

mehdi mahraoui and sadari hutson


aLuMNi

Paula Howell anderson

Paula Howell Anderson is someone who knows how to make

the most of opportunities. For her, John Jay College served as

a springboard to Harvard Law School, and Harvard in turn

helped propel her to a law firm partnership and an international

reputation as a litigator. Now the 35-year-old Anderson has been

acclaimed by Crain’s New York Business as one of New York’s

“40 Under 40,” a roster of those who have achieved success in

business before turning 40. She was also honored in June by the

New York Chapter of the National Organization for Women as

one of its 2012 Women of Power and Influence.

It was a roster of credits like these that recently earned her

election to a seat on the John Jay College Foundation Board of

Trustees.

Anderson specializes in foreign-corrupt-practices cases and

other complex litigation for Shearman & Sterling LLP, and

also does pro bono work in international human rights that

has included assisting in the prosecution of those accused of

richard J. KoehlerThe newest member of the John Jay College Foundation Board of

Trustees, yes, but new to John Jay? Hardly. Richard J. Koehler is

a card-carrying member of the College’s “Founding Generation,”

and his career track speaks volumes to the awesome power of

possibility that comes with a John Jay education.

“I had tried to get into a lot of other colleges when I got out of

the U.S. Navy,” he recalled, “but I had an equivalency diploma

and no other college would take me.” And so, armed with that

equivalency certificate and the badge and credentials of a New

York City police officer, Koehler became a John Jay student – a

dedicated, exceptional and successful John Jay student. He

earned his bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in 1973, then

went on to earn a master’s degree in Urban Affairs from Hunter

College and a law degree from Fordham Law School, all while

serving with the NYPD.

Koehler’s professional achievements have been similarly

marked by a steady upward track. He has held such positions

with the NYPD as Chief of Personnel, Chief of Planning and

Director of the Communications Division. He left the NYPD

when he was named New York City Correction Commissioner by

Mayor Edward I. Koch in 1986. In 1990, he left public service to

return to his alma mater as a professor in John Jay’s Department

of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration.

“Being part of the John Jay faculty was wonderful,” said

Koehler. “And my being an alumnus informed my role on the

faculty; I found myself trying very hard to be the kind of professor

I felt students should have.”

Today, as a founding partner in the law firm of Koehler & Isaacs

LLP, Koehler serves as general counsel, labor counsel and/or fund

counsel for numerous labor organizations. He has been involved in

labor relations for over 25 years, representing unions in the public

and private sectors and managing legal service programs for unions.

25

involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Growing up in Barbados under the watchful eye of her “strict

disciplinarian” grandparents, she said she always wanted to

be a lawyer. She won a college scholarship from the Barbadian

government and headed to New York, where her parents were

already living. “I was looking for a college with a robust pre-law

program,” she recalled. “John Jay is the only college to which

I applied.” She graduated in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in

Criminology, summa cum laude, and was the valedictorian of

her class, then headed to Harvard in a van emblazoned with an

oversized poster featuring her face and the words “Guess who’s

going to Harvard?”

Since then, Anderson has been praised by clients and

colleagues alike for her masterly ability to boil down complex

litigations and come away a winner. She also teaches Advanced

Trial Advocacy for prosecutors at the International Criminal

Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court. The

head of Shearman & Sterling’s Global Litigation Group, Stephen

Fishbein, has said of her: “It is quite impressive how much she

has accomplished – in her corporate legal work and in her pro

bono work – at such a young age.”

Looking back, Anderson sees her John Jay education as having

laid the foundation for her legal career. From the substantive pre-

law courses to the internship opportunities to the helpful and

encouraging mentors, she obtained an “invaluable glimpse into the

real world practice of law and the art of thinking like a lawyer.” And

while she admits to being largely unable to recall her valedictory

speech at commencement, she does remember encouraging her

fellow graduates “to go out and make their mark on the world.”

That she has. Her recent honors, she says, are “a testament to

the strength of the legal profession and the great things that can

be achieved with a law degree,” and something that she hopes will

inspire current and future John Jay students who are thinking of a

career in the law. And she is unstinting when revealing the secrets of

her own success: “Lots of hard work, determination, never settling

for anything but excellence in whatever I do, staying focused on my

goals whatever obstacles may arise, and staying grounded.”

She almost makes it sound simple. JJ

Koehler has far reaching experience when it comes to matters

of the law. He is widely quoted and mentioned in the news media

on a variety of legal issues, and his work as an attorney has

been recognized for its success on behalf of a diverse clientele.

For example, Koehler and his firm have been honored by the

municipal government of Valadares, Brazil, for the service that he

and his firm have provided to Brazilian immigrants living in the

United States.

John Jay continues to be a touchstone for Koehler, who was the

2010 recipient of the College’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

He chaired the wildly successful “Founding Generation” salute

held in conjunction with the 2012 Alumni Reunion, and has been

named to lead the Alumni Campaign Committee that is currently

in formation. “Our members will be working to help engage the

alumni community as part of the Campaign for the Future of

Justice,” said Koehler. “I’ll always remember what this College did

for me and for so many others. This is a chance for our alumni to

show that they feel as I do about John Jay.” JJ


1970sMichael P. Forbell, MA ’73, has worked as an adjunct instructor in criminal justice for 15 years at Everest University in Lakeland, FL.

Vincent J. clausen, BS ’74, retired from the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement as Field Office Director in Detroit, MI, in July 2009. He served 34 years with ICE and its predecessor agency, the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Joseph N. Ferdenzi, BA ’75/MA ’78, was awarded the Thomas E. Dewey Medal by the New York City Bar Association as the outstanding Bronx County Assistant District Attorney of 2011. Currently, he is chief of the appeals bureau.

Kevin P. Finnerty, MA ’75, founded a private investigation business that manages international investigations in Europe, Asia and Central America, following his retirement from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Patricia M. sinatra, BS ’75, retired from John Jay in 2010 after 36 years of service, during which she developed the College’s First-Year Initiative programs.

thomas Day, BS ’76, recently retired as captain with the Lakeland Police Department after more than 32 years of service.

richard ramirez, BS ’76, was appointed Vice President of Environmental, Health & Safety and Business Continuity Planning/Security at Siemens Industry Inc. in Alpharetta, GA, in September 2010.

anthony J. schembri, MA ’77, is the Sir Leon Radzinowicz Professor of Criminology, Criminal Law and Police Science at the University of Florida.

christopher e. Keenan, BS ’77, is employed as a park supervisor at Squantz Pond State Park in Connecticut.

alvin Williams, BS ’77, works as assistant program director of the Scatter Site Housing Program for the Coalition for the Homeless.

Bruce W. croce, BS ’78, retired after 28 years of service with the Suffolk County Police Department, 18 of which he spent as a detective.

1980scollis White, BS ’80, is a United States Magistrate for the Del Rio Division of the Western District of Texas.

elvis acosta, BS ’81, is a colonel in the United States Army and Director of Mission Support in the USPACOM Joint Intelligence Operations Center.

David a. Hector, MPA ’81, retired as a lieutenant and commander of detective services in the New York City Police Department.

Denise reina, AS ’81, received her MS in Reading Education from Barry University in Miami Shores, FL.

christopher robinson, BS ’81, recently retired as detective squad commander from the 44th Precinct Detective Squad in the Bronx.

Gwendolyn a. Blackett-sullivan, BA/MA ’82, is the Director of Special Services/Administrator of Special Education for the New York City Department of Education.

Bonnie McGarrell, MA ’82, earned a second master’s degree in social work and currently works as a licensed social worker.

thomas J. tiefenwerth, MA ’82, a retired psychologist with the Texas state prison system, is in private practice and works as a criminal justice and psychology professor at Texas A&M University-Central Texas.

arnold c. Lewis, BS ’83, currently serves as legal advocate coordinator for a domestic violence agency in Somerset County, NJ.

Linda (Giambalvo) attanasio, BS ’84, has been working for the past 17 years as a Pastoral Minister in New Jersey, and is currently Director of Adult Education and Formation at St. Bartholomew the Apostle Church in Scotch Plains, NJ.

James D. seward, MA ’84, received his PhD in Psychology from Temple University after graduating from John Jay. He is now a clinical and forensic neuropsychologist in New York.

Lisa a. (Kirkman) McKenna, BA ’86, is Director of Court Mediation Services for the Dispute Settlement Center in Wilton, CT.

robert c. shack, BS ’87, is now retired from the New York Police Department.

adam H. Brill, BS ’88, earned a master’s degree in Public Relations from Iona College, and is now Director of Communications for the City of Yonkers.

Len Mignini, BS ’88, is a sergeant in the Peekskill, NY, Police Department, where he has worked for 23 years.

Lois Ferguson, MA ’89, received a second MA in Counseling Psychology from Centenary College in Hackettstown, NJ, in 2010, and is a Licensed Associate Counselor in New Jersey.

richard c. Hemingway, MS ’89, published his first novel, Past Twilight, which is available online from Amazon and Amazon Kindle.

1990sMichael P. Brassington, BS ’90, works in executive protection for the CEO of a major New York company. He also enjoys traveling around the United States on his Harley-Davidson.

Joe russo, MS ’90, won the prestigious University of Cincinnati Award conferred by the American Probation and Parole Association.

Polly spain, BA ’90, is a special education teacher with the New York City school system, as well as a community leader who advocates for the sustainability of affordable housing.

Yvette M. aguiar, BS/MPA ’93, received her PhD in Homeland Security in 2011 and is now deputy chair of the Security Management Program at TCI College.

James FitzGerald, BS ’93, was recently promoted to assistant federal security director for the Transportation Security Administration at Kennedy International Airport in New York.

James r. Parlow, BS ’93, just completed his 21st year with the White Plains Police Department, where he is now a lieutenant and shift commander.

Marcia P. (roman) tricoche, BA ’93, is employed as principal court attorney to Justice Norma Ruiz of the New York State Supreme Court in the Bronx.

John M. Denesopolis Jr., BS ’94, went on to earn his MPA from Marist College in 2003, and is currently commanding officer of the NYPD’s 120th Precinct on Staten Island.

cLass NOtes

27

Gregory J. Myers, BS ’94, in March 2011 joined the National Association of Certified Mediators. A New York City correction officer, he is also president and CEO of Concept Security Training Institute.

Fred J. Lukowski, MA ’94, was promoted to director of the Aiken County office of the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.

sedric D. altman, BS ’95, is a security supervisor at Washington University in St. Louis.

ron carrington, BA ’96, works for the New York State Office of Children and Family Services as an investigator.

Marcheta r. Ball, BA ’96, was accepted to New York Law School beginning in the fall of 2011, following a long career as a paralegal.

simon a. rego, MA ’96, is Director of the Psychology Training and the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Program at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

Darlene sanders, BS ’96, has worked in the forensic mental health field since earning her degree from John Jay.

tania Peterson chandler, BS ’96, earned her JD degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark in 2008 and is admitted to the New York and New Jersey bars.

Daniel e. sosnowik, BS ’96, is a captain with the New York City Police Department, where he is commanding officer of the Leadership Training Section.

Gregory J. spaun, BS/MA ’96, is now an associate with a leading construction law firm, Welby, Brady & Greenblatt, LLP.

thomas P. Falotico, MS ’96, was recently promoted to Director of Security/North America for Sandoz, the generic pharmaceuticals division of Novartis.

sabrina M. Jenkins, BA ’97, is Vice President of Primerica Financial Services and a licensed insurance representative for the State of New York and South Carolina.

Kimberly a. Johnson, AS ’98, graduated from Long Island University-Westchester in May 2012 with a degree in school counseling.

Jin M. Lee, BA ’98, is a special agent in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations Division.

Nakesha L. (Williams) Nicks, BA ’98, received her MS in Education from Long Island University in 1999. She works as a fourth grade teacher and is married to fellow John Jay graduate alfonso Nicks, BA ’97.

James P. Lamb, MA ’98, was engaged to John Jay alumna Uliana Bogash in November 2010.

Patrick J. O’Dea, BA ’98, retired as police chief of Haworth, NJ, and joined the law firm of Maneri & Maroules in Fairfield, NJ, as an associate.

raymond spinella, BS ’98, is a lieutenant in the Employee Relations Section of the NYPD.

2000saretha M. Brown, BA ’00, received her Master of Education from Eastern University in St. David’s, PA, in December 2010.

elfonzo J. Hayes, BA ’00, works as a detective (intelligence specialist) and a certified gang expert with the St. Louis Metro Police Department.

La toya s. Lake-Gittens, BA ’00, writes: “Thanks to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice curriculum, I have trailblazed a positive path in the Royal Police Force of Antigua & Barbuda as the Criminologist/Crime Scene Technician/Crime Analyst.”

Gayle (curtis) sudder, MA ’00, works as a traffic investigator for the New York State Department of Transportation, conducting safety evaluations on state highways.

craig trainor, BA ’00, manages his own Manhattan-based law firm, practicing criminal defense, civil rights, employment, business and entertainment law.

Kenneth J. thomas, BA ’00, earned his master’s degree from Seton Hall University. He is director of communications for UHCW, a nonprofit organization in the South Bronx, and treasury manager for DRA Advisors LLC, an investment firm.

Milton acevedo, BA ’04, is an attorney managing his own practice, the Acevedo Law firm in Orlando, FL.

Marisol a. candelario, BA ’04, is an administrative assistant in facilities management at Consolidated Edison of New York, Inc. She is pursuing an MPA degree at John Jay.

Nicholas Faustino, BA ’04, works with the Bergen County, NJ, Sheriff’s Office. He was formerly employed by the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

Joanna (curtis) Hewitt, MA ’04, is a senior fraud investigator with Health Integrity, an insurance firm, investigating fraud and abuse in the Medicare program.

allan Leznikova, BA ’04, is attending Brooklyn Law School and expects to receive his JD degree in 2014.

Kimberly a. ramsay, BS ’04, earned her MSW at Barry University. Currently, she works for Compsych in Florida as a resource specialist.

rayon P. rohoman, BA ’05, obtained a master’s degree in Economic Crime Management from Utica College. He works in the FBI’s Miami Division as a records examiner/analyst.

Nicole rura, BA ’05, works with the New Jersey State Police.

Kelly Yip, BS ’05, is vice president managing the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Ethics and Compliance Department of BNP Paribas, a global banking and financial services company.

christina J. Williams, BA ’05, is now a captain with the New York City Department of Correction.

Gina addamo, BS ’06, recently earned her law degree from Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University.

stephanie alfaro, BA ’06, received her master’s degree in Public Health from Columbia University. She is a certified EMT.

Mark Brinadze, BS ’06, has been a New York City police officer since July 2009.

Damion O. James, BA ’06, is a member of the gang unit with the Essex County, NJ, Department of Correction.

Frederick M. sahakian, MPA ’06, earned his PhD in Public Policy and Administration from Walden University, and serves as the statewide coordinator for the small systems group with the New York Unified Court System.

Nicholas a. sofia, BS ’06, writes: “I am very excited to be taking my experiences at John Jay to the 54th Police Recruit Academy in Virginia Beach, VA.” He began his recruit training in July 2012.

Dian F. Fields, BA ’07, graduated with distinction from Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus with a master’s in Public Administration.

elisabeth a. Blank, BA ’07, works as a vocational specialist/job developer for the organization Community Access.

Oscar a. Munoz, BA ’07, is a U.S. Army officer currently stationed at Fort Lewis, WA.

Polina Katsnelson, BA ’07, is a contracts coordinator for MTV Networks Entertainment Law, and is applying to law school.


2000sJeanine a. Nasta, BA ’07, received her MS degree in Elementary and Special Education in May 2010.

Paul J. rickard, MPA ’07, has been police chief of the Town of Mount Hope, NY, since May 2010. He previously served 21 years with the Middletown, NY, Police Department.

Philippa tapada, BA ’07, began her law studies at New York Law School as part of the fall 2011 entering class.

robyn M. Houlihan, BA ’08, obtained her MSW from Fordham University and now works as a social work supervisor in a residential setting assisting formerly homeless individuals with severe mental illnesses.

tiffany L. Maldonado, BS ’08, is working for a maritime law firm while applying to law schools.

Jose L. Mena, BA ’08, works for the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement as an immigration enforcement agent.

Delana K. Mendes, BS ’08, is pursuing her MS in Criminal Justice with a concentration in public administration at Georgia State University. Says Mendes: “I see a brighter future ahead.”

chunhui Meng, BS ’08, is the webmaster/web developer for John Jay College’s Lloyd Sealy Library.

Joel Ortez, BA ’08, is a special agent with the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.

cassandra (Jean-Baptiste) Parrish, MA ’08, married Jacob Parrish in August 2010. She works as a full-time substance abuse counselor.

Jonathan simons, MPA ’08, is a sergeant with the NYPD and an adjunct professor of political science at Kingsborough Community College.

Frank Zitzman, MPA ’08, is a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve and a civilian employee of the Defense Department, where he serves as a project leader in the acquisition work force.

Benjamin de Boer, MA ’09, is pursuing a doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Chicago.

smail Ferroudj, BA ’09, is currently employed as a real estate agent in New York.

Ninoshka t. Garrick, BA ’09, is a research assistant with the Office of the New York City Comptroller.

sarah e. Jackson, BA ’09, is pursuing her master’s degree in Forensic Psychology and Criminal Investigation through the University of Liverpool. She has worked as a research assistant for a forensic psychiatrist and interned with the New Jersey State Police.

Kelsey F. Kowalski, MA ’09, has been employed since October 2010 with the Virginia Department of Corrections, as a clinical social worker in the mental health department.

Danielle e. Pate, BS ’09, currently works for the Office of the New York City Chief Medical Examiner.

Patricia ruiz, BA ’09, is a litigation specialist in the legal department at JP Morgan Chase Bank.

elizabeth soto, BA ’09, joined the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service as a junior officer. She supported a VIP visit by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, earlier this year.

Nicholas M. st. John, BS ’09, is attending the University of Georgia School of Law and expects to receive his JD degree in 2014.

Julio c. Valega, BA ’09, has worked for the United States Park Police in the Washington, D.C., field office for the past two years.

2010sKevin D. Brown, BA ’10, was hired in April 2011 as Level One Help Desk at PrintingHouse Press, an appellate printer.

Lavon r. Dirickson, BA ’10, is attending graduate school at Capella University, where he is majoring in public safety/criminal justice/forensic science.

edwin M. Hernandez Garcia, BA/MPA ’10, is attending Quinnipiac University School of Law. He was a recipient of the Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association Scholarship Award in November 2010.

cynthia a. Hunte, MPA ’10, is Director of Medical Staff Services at St. Joseph Hospital in Bethpage, NY.

ryan D. McDonald, MA ’10, is a clinical research coordinator at NYU Medical Center, where he conducts clinical research trials on an investigational drug, extended-release nal-trexone, to prevent opiate relapse in offenders soon to be released from jail on Riker’s Island.

Kim e. Ortiz, BA ’10, is AP bookkeeper and fiscal administrator at CASES.

Luz M. Pagan, MA ’10, was recently promoted to coordinator/judicial officer for Hostos Community College.

Farida rice, MPA ’10, is Director of the Family Health and Support Center with the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.

Donaldo L. simpson, BS ’10, is a federal police officer assigned to the United States Supreme Court in Washington, DC. He is pursuing his master’s degree in Homeland Security at Capella University.

Jennifer M. Ortiz, BS/MA ’10, is a research director with the New York State Sentencing Commission.

Jennifer D. tierney, BA ’10, has worked as a psychological research support specialist at Stony Brook University. She is pursuing a JD from St. John’s University School of Law.

carlos a. Vargas, BS ’10, is an adjunct professor at Monroe College.

sharese L. crouther, BA ’11, is a program associate for Brownsville Youth Court demonstration project being run by the Center of Court Innovation.

shakina Griffith, MA ’11, is a Level I investigator for the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board.

Jemmilla a. andrews, BA ’11, is “proud to say that her education from John Jay College has allowed her to get a job with the Fire Department of New York as a Fire Protection Inspector.”

andrew W.J. Moss, MPA ’11, was married in August 2011 to Robyn Giannotta at the San Gabriel Mission in Southern California.

Jeffrey s. reyes, BA/MA ’11, works as an intelligence analyst for the New York City Business Integrity Commission.

cLass NOtes

Our grads make us proud! share your story with your classmates and the community at http://johnjay.jjay.cuny.edu/alumnistory/.

the future begins with you.Help support the next generation of fierce advocates for justice with your gift to John Jay College.

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Justice Matters Magazine, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

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